Re-examining What Made Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon so Legendary and Unique

Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He also had arguably the greatest individual season in league history, as it pertains to the 1993-94 NBA season, in which the Hall of Fame big man became the first player to ever win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP ever.

Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 52.8 percent from the field.

And 41 minutes per night. In the postseason, he leveled up, averaging 28.9 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 assists, four blocks, 1.7 steals and 51.9 percent from the field.

Olajuwon still hails as the greatest shot blocker of all time. There's no debate.

He's the league's all-time blocks leader.

But he's also the greatest defender of all time. He had the footwork and mobility to defend every position on the floor.

And he also ranks tenth all-time in steals.

He's also one of four players historically to record a quadruple-double (which he nearly pulled off twice in the same month, coming just one assist short).

He was unstoppable and able to make just as equal of an impact on either end of the floor. And although he'd draw double teams, he was a great passing big man and the Rockets surrounded him with 3-point shooters and floor spacers, which he was constantly able to find.

What really made Olajuwon unique was his selflessness and humility. It's not something you see from superstars.

Much less legendary players.

Olajuwon represented the game the right way.

Even in an era in which the game had become mucked up.

Take the Detroit Pistons, for example. They were going to try to beat you down and beat you up and fight you.

It was all aimed at disrupting your psyche. It all started with Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn.

Neither of which affected Olajuwon, which he explained in his 1997 memoir Living the Dream: My Life and Basketball.

"Laimbeer, in particular, was dirty, but he could not fight. But if you heard that Bill Laimbeer was in a fight you didn't have to ask who caused it: you knew it was Laimbeer."

Olajuwon continued, explaining that the promotion of a dirty image isn't something that should be desired or glamorized.

"They didn't even pretend to be reasonable. They promoted the image of bad boys as if that was something to be proud of."

Interestingly enough, the Bad Boy Pistons won just as many titles as Olajuwon's Rockets: two.